“For foreign countries that have made big bets on Donald Trump’s presidency — such as Russia, China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia — the U.S. midterm elections pose a significant problem: Trump’s maneuvering room may be sharply limited if Democrats win control of the House.” The Republicans hold on power looks “so precarious, that foreign commentators are debating what GOP losses in November could mean.”

“Political uncertainty in Italy has unhinged world markets, raising the specter of a euro crisis that could ripple across the global economy and even force the Federal Reserve to slow its rate-hiking plans.” While odds appear low that Italy will opt out of the single currency bloc, “internal chaos and a new election could make for a rocky summer for markets and even put a dent in European economic growth.”

“Mahathir Mohamad is on course to become the world’s oldest elected leader at 92, after a shock victory in Malaysia’s bitterly fought election” over his former protégé Najib Razak also “ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has been in power since independence in 1957.”

Unlike Theresa May’s losing gamble, Shinzo Abe’s snap election “paid off handsomely.” The result of the gutsy move was hardly certain. “Rarely has such an unpopular leader won a free and fair election so lopsidedly. Only about one-third of Japanese people approve of Shinzo Abe” while “a whopping 51% disapprove. Yet on October 22nd his Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner kept its two-thirds majority in the lower house.” For this unusual outcome, he owes the opposition, which “imploded,” a debt of gratitude.

“Who leads Europe? At the start of this year, the answer was obvious. Angela Merkel…. This week, it all looks very different.” Post election, Germany’s leader stands greatly reduced. In contrast, “France’s President Emmanuel Macron is bursting with ambition.” Whether he will be able to “restore France to centre-stage in the EU after a decade in the chorus depends not just on his plans for Europe, but also on his success at home, reforming a country long seen as unreformable.”

“Sunday’s federal election proved quite a storm for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. Now, a day after these remarkable results, the skies over Berlin’s River Spree are cloudy, drizzly, and unpleasant. The sunny days are over.” The inclement forecast is largely due to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which proved unexpectedly strong, landing a third place finish. The AfD won 94 of the Bundestag’s 709 seats. Their victory marks the first time for a right-wing party to be represented in the Bundestag since the Nazi defeat in 1945.

“President Trump’s approval rating has sunk to historic lows,” but this is not the most salient point. “The politically relevant, and profoundly disturbing, fact is” that after six months of unremitting chaos, lies, ignorance, trash-talking vulgarity, legislative failure, and credible evidence of a desire to collude with a hostile foreign government to subvert an American election, President Trump’s approval rating is astonishingly high.” Over one-third of Americans apparently like “what they see and hear from the White House….That is simply stunning — and reveals just how precarious American democracy has become.”

We believe Donald Trump’s “election and continuing tenure as commander in chief are bad for the nation. We see no evidence that he will grow into the job. We look forward to the day when he is no longer president.” Still, it is not yet “time to draw up articles of impeachment.” Barring “some intervening revelation of intolerable action on the president’s part,” the investigations should be completed before beginning the “move toward impeachment.”

Trump is making a tense situation on the Korean Peninsula perilous. His “sole success is adding himself to the things South Koreans most fear. Indeed, his erratic behavior has affected South Korea’s presidential election Tuesday, helping elevate the candidate least favorable to the United States. As Trump oscillates, risks burgeon.”